for better or worse (I'll be home for Christmas)
by MadHare0512
Summary: Nine thirty at night and the table was set. Candles lit, mistletoe hung, dinner was about an hour away from being done, and everyone would be here soon. Monroe grinned a little to himself. It was almost perfect. The only thing that could make it more perfect would be if his partners were there.


for better or worse (I'll be home for Christmas)

By: AndiKaneUnderwood

**It's a little late, I meant to have it out on Christmas Eve, but work interrupted me. So, here it is four days late. Sorry!**

**AU: Canon Divergence, Altered Timeline**

Nine thirty at night and the table was set. Candles lit, mistletoe hung, dinner was about an hour away from being done, and everyone would be here soon. Monroe grinned a little to himself. It was almost perfect.

The only thing that could make it _more _perfect would be if his partners were there.

Monroe sighed, grabbing his phone from where it sat on the counter and checking his messages for the hundredth time. No new messages. The last time he'd heard from them had been an hour ago. It was Christmas Eve. They were meant to go to his parents' house and spend the day there tomorrow, so tonight was just for them. Monroe was excited to spend another Christmas with his Grimm and his Fuchsbau. It had been several years since he'd spent a Christmas alone and he didn't want to go back. His question was, where were his lovers? Rosalee had texted him last, telling him that she was picking Nick up and they would go to the store and be home soon. A town like Portland, things were bound to happen at the worst of times. Monroe just hoped nothing Wessen had happened. He hated it when he was enjoying a moment with one of them and the phone rang.

It usually happened like that with Nick. They'd be in bed getting (much needed) rest or talking or _other_ bedroom activities and Nick's phone would ring. Nick would huff and reach over to feel for it blindly, answering it to find someone on the line needing his attention. Normally it was Hank, telling him about a case they'd caught (sometimes Wessen related), or Captain Renard asking him to come in and pull a bit of overtime to look after something (always Wessen related). Once it had been a newspaper and Nick happened to be recovering from injuries, laying with his head in Monroe's lap trying to sleep the morning after the Jinnamuru Xunte blinded him.

_(After the phone was answered once, Nick had huffed and hung up, but the newspaper called back. When he'd reached for the phone and groaned, Monroe snatched it and answered for his lover._

_"Hello?" he'd asked, letting his free hand trail through Nick's hair. Nick sighed blissfully and got comfortable again._

_"Hello, I'm Ronnie H. Caldwell, an editor for _The Oregonian**(1).**_ I'm covering the Red Worm Killer for the paper and I have some questions about the case. Could I speak with Detective Nicholas Burkhardt please?" asked the voice on the other end._

_"Nick isn't available at this time, could I take a message?" Monroe asked, glancing down at the Grimm with love and affection in his eyes. Not that Nick could see it, he was still wearing the blindfold Rosalee had ordered him not to take off until she could check him over fully. Monroe hoped he could feel his love though._

_"Well, you see, we heard he was hit in the attack, so we'd like to speak with him. He could offer firsthand information about the killer and how he managed to get the red worms into his victims. Is there any way we could speak with him today?" the voice demanded rather than asked. The voice was still polite, but it was also hard and firm._

_Monroe was not a man to be pushed around or to let what was his be pushed around. A growl slipped out with his next words, "If you heard he was hurt in the attacks, then you must also know he's on sick leave for the week. He won't be available for a while. If you don't have a message, I'm hanging up."_

_"I'll call again tomorrow."_

_"Don't." Monroe snarled, ending the call before he could throw the phone across the room. He sighed, gently rubbing Nick's arm._

_"Roe?" Nick murmured sleepily._

_"Yeah, Nicky?"_

_"Thanks," Nick sighed and Monroe felt his slight weight get a bit heavier. Nick had finally fallen asleep.)_

With Rosalee, it was the ringing bell of the spice shop getting between a kiss, or a game of cards on a slow day, or a nap on the couch-bed in the office. Once, a fight had even broken out between Rosalee and the customers and Monroe had gone berserk.

_(He'd originally thought nothing was wrong, but upon the sounds of raised voices he looked up from the cards he was shuffling and sniffed the air._

_Lowen. Why was it always Lowen?_

_He stepped out from the backroom, telling himself he was just checking on Rosalee, only to pause as he saw the woged Lowen pin his lover to the wall by her throat. She fought to get free, kicking and spitting, but the Lowen was stronger than her._

_Monroe saw red, completely blanking on what happened next, but when he was himself again the Lowen where unconscious, their throats bit. They bled onto the carpet and Monroe tasted blood in his mouth. "Oh no."_

_He turned, "Rose?" he asked._

_She was staring at the mess with wide eyes._

_"Rose, I'm sorry. I just- He had you by the throat, Rose, and I- I got so mad and... Rose, I'm so sorry." Monroe took a step back._

_Rosalee nodded, not taking her eyes off the unconscious men. Her hand lifted, slim fingers shaking, she finally looked at Monroe. "Call Nick."_

_Monroe blinked stupidly._

_Rosalee hit Monroe's shoulder, "Monroe. Call Nick!"_

_Monroe unfroze, fumbling for his cell phone and hitting speed-dial. He looked at the injured men and felt a sick kind of satisfaction and pride. He decided then that the blood in his mouth was worth it for Rosalee's safety.)_

Monroe hummed, checking his messages again. With a sigh, he put his phone away and checked the time. He'd give it another ten minutes before he called.

If they were late because of Wessen, he might as well just cancel the dinner then and there. Nick tended to get himself seriously hurt when the case involved Wessen, the night would be spent in bed with Nick curled up between Monroe and Rosalee, safe and sound. Monroe would watch Nick worriedly until he was sure Nick was okay. Rosalee, who may or may not be hurt as well depending on the day and type of Wessen, would curl up against Nick's back or side and wait to hear his heartbeat so she could sleep peacefully. Not that that would be a bad way to spend the night, of course, but he just wanted _one night_ where Wessen and cases were put away and he could have a holiday dinner with his family.

Monroe sat on the couch and huffed, burying his face in his arms. He was counting on them to be here about 30 minutes ago. Not that it was like they _had_ to be there, there was always a chance Nick could catch a last-minute case, or Rosalee could get a last-minute customer. It was more of a goal than anything. They were always careful to call and let him know, however. It wasn't like them not to say anything.

Ten minutes came and went, and Monroe called Nick.

_"Hey, you've reached my voicemail. Leave your message at the tone and I'll get back to you." _Nick's voicemail answered.

Monroe sighed, "Hey, Nicky. Did you get held up, man? Call me back when you get this." he let his hand drop as he ended the call. He let his head drop again with a groan. He sighed again and called Rosalee.

"_The number you are trying to call has a voicemail box that is not set up yet. Please check the number and try again." _replied the automated voice. Monroe groaned, remembering that Rosalee had just gotten a new phone after the old one had broken. She hadn't set up her voicemail yet.

He put his head back down, setting his phone on the side table and laying on his side. He normally wasn't one to worry so much, but honestly? It was cold and snowing out, so the roads were just a little bit dangerous. He was just so _worried_.

He must've fallen asleep because when he opened his eyes next an hour had passed. He checked his phone again, but no new messages. He called Nick again.

"_Hey, you've reached my voicemail. Leave your message at the tone and I'll get back to you." _repeated the voicemail.

Monroe stood and finished the dinner he didn't feel like finishing, setting up the table like Nick and Rosalee would be home any moment. He worried and fretted, changing placings and trading food spots, waiting rather impatiently for Nick and Rosalee to come in the front door.

After 30 more minutes, Monroe was pacing the kitchen and checking the time, having blown out the candles fifteen minutes ago. He whimpered slightly, his mind twisted and turning, going over the last time he'd seen his lovers and his last words to them.

"_I know today's important, Monroe. I'll be home for dinner, I promise. Love you, Monroe, don't forget I'm taking the jeep to the shop today!" _Nick's voice echoed in his head, making the same promise he did anytime things where important. When he got held up at the office, when he caught a bad case he knew would take up a lot of time, and when he was visiting Juliette but gotten caught up. No matter what it was, Nick always promised to be home for dinner. He always kept that promise, even if he couldn't stay long or was a little late. He always made time for his partners, always tried to communicate, always did his best to be there for them.

_"I've got a bit of shopping to do after work. Nick's taking the jeep to the shop, Hank's picking him up from there. I'll pick him up so after his shift. We'll be home to help you with dinner, okay? I love you." _Rosalee was more used to free love than the other two were, being as wild as she was when she was younger. She loved her partners openly and didn't let anyone tell her no. If a customer asked her about the cute boys in her shop one day, she held no problem saying they were taken, she even laid her claim on them as often as she could. To her, they where _her_ boys; _her_ Blutbad and _her_ Grimm. She had no issues proving that or taking care of business when someone couldn't take a hint.

"_I trust you, Nicky. I won't forget. Love you too!" _With Nick, it was easy to let his protective instincts have control. Nick was soft and just so _Human_. He didn't have claws or teeth or any other kind of attribute to protect himself, so the wolf demanded that Monroe do it for him.

_(The wolf hadn't been on the wrong side of Nick's gun often enough if it thought that Nick couldn't protect himself.)_

_"Sure, Rose. I'll be here. I love you too__." _With Rosalee, it was kind of like a fight. Both challenged him but with Rosalee, it was a real fight. She was just as instinctual as he was, just as much animal as he was, and there was a playful battle between them with every moment. On occasion, the wolf would make a real challenge for Rosalee's submission and Monroe would have to real it back in.

_(The wolf hadn't been on the wrong side of Rosalee's temper often enough either if it thought that Monroe could win a true fight with Rose.)_

Monroe's ring tone brought him out of his thoughts. He snapped the phone up and fumbled to unlock it. "Nick?"

It was Hank who answered. "Monore, it's Hank. I've got some bad news."

Monroe listened, then let the phone fall.

_Grimm~Grimm~Grimm_

Monroe ran through the hallway in a state of shock. After he'd snapped the phone up again he'd demanded details and then called Nick a few more times.

_"Hey, you've reached my voicemail. Leave your message at the tone and I'll get back to you." _Monroe hung up, racing down the hall and stopping at the door. He took in heaving breaths and tried to calm down. Once he was sure he wasn't going to hurt himself, hurt anyone else, or completely break down, he knocked on the door and walked in. Rosalee looked up from Nick's bedside and stood, tripping over the cart in her haste to get to Monroe.

"Monroe! I'm so sorry, I don't know what happened. It happened so fast. He was just _there_!" Rosalee stammered over her words, eyes wide.

Monroe pulled Rosalee into a hug, effectively stopping her ranting and warming her cold skin. She had butterfly bandages over her forehead and a few stitches in her palm, but otherwise, she was okay. Monroe would just have to take over the spice shop again for a bit. "It's okay. You're safe, that's all that matters. Let's just focus on getting you better, okay?"

She sniffled, wiping at her eyes. "Okay. But, Monroe, _Nick. _They won't tell me anything yet."

"Hey, let's just go in there. I'm here now, it's going to be okay." Monroe gently led his upset lover back into the room. He paused when he saw the bed. Well, more like when he saw _who _was on the bed.

Nick looked so pale. It was a feat, considering how pale he normally was, but he looked _white_ and he was eerily still. Nick was _rarely_ still, he only ever stopped going when he was asleep and even then he would sleep-talk sometimes and move around a lot other times. He most always ended up curled up against one of the pair, leeching warmth. The kid couldn't hold a steady internal temperature of it would save his life. He'd taken to stealing Monroe's flannels when he could get away with it, which was all the time because all the flannels were kind of loose on Monroe which meant Nick would completely _drown _while he was wearing them, which was fucking adorable. Monroe came closer and sat in the chair by Nick's bed. There were a few cuts on his face, near his ear and splitting his lower lip, and one across the bridge of his nose. He was in a hospital gown, but his clothes were laid neatly over by the chair. An IV was attached to his inner elbow giving him the needed fluids.

Monroe hated the way he looked in that hospital bed.

"Roe?" Nick murmured, sapphire eyes flickering open to meet Monroe's brown.

"I'm here, Nicky. How do you feel?" Monroe asked.

"Kind of like I got ran over," Nick replied. trying to lift himself further up the bed.

Monroe stilled him with a hand on his shoulder. "Stay still, Nick. I'll get the doctor."

With the doctor located and Nick awake, Monroe felt relief course through his veins. The Doctor briefly checked Nick over as Monroe settled Rosalee in the chair next to the bed and hugged her tightly to his side, "We'd like him to stay here for observation, but if he has somewhere to stay he'll able to go home with tomorrow on bed rest and light duty the next day."

Monroe perked up. "He lives with me and Rosalee," he gestured to his other lover, "We can take care of him."

"She was involved in the same wreck, sir, can you handle the both of them at once?" the Doctor asked.

Monroe fought back the urge to bare his teeth at the suggestion he couldn't take care of his lovers. "Positive."

The Doctor nodded. "Alright. Once the IV is finished he can go home. The nurse will be in with the discharge papers and soon." He left, swinging the door shut behind him.

Monroe took Nick's hand and rubbed his thumb over the knuckles. "Hear that, Nicky. You're going home."

"For dinner. Like I promised. I'm sorry it couldn't be earlier." Nick murmured, watching Monroe with all the love and affection this world could ever offer. Monroe sometimes wondered how Nick could think him worthy.

"It's alright, Nicky. You're coming home, that's all that matters." Monroe pressed a kiss to Nick's forehead.

It was kind of crazy. Though it was Christmas Eve and (once they got the okay) they would be traveling tomorrow, they were happy as they were. Dinner would be reheated and eaten when they got home, Monroe's family would be happy to see Nick and Rosalee tomorrow when they finally managed to get there, but for now, they were happy to be in each other's company.

For better or worse, this was Monroe's life.

He wouldn't trade it for anything.

**(1) An actual newspaper in Portland. I made up the editors name, based on a real-life editor, but the newspaper is entirely real.**


End file.
